Midi Jackson at the Abri Pwovizwa Shelter Camp in Jacmel, Haiti in this April 15, 2010 file photo.Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail
It's been more than two weeks since I arrived back in Jacmel and I've about settled back in. The apartment issues have basically been resolved (cockroach death count up to six now; frog eviction count is at one) and our culinary inventiveness is on the verge of growing (our friend Moro Baruk instructed us on how to make homemade yogurt and cheese…which Deb and I vowed to attempt just as soon as we have time). The searing daytime heat and stifling humidity make me grateful not to have a thermometer. I'd rather not know just how hot it is as we trek from interview to interview, drenching yet another set of clothing. It sounds like a gross process - in fact, I'm sure our interview subjects are disgusted by the sweat dripping onto my notepads as I jot down their quotes - but in truth, it's lots of fun. I know we're into the swing of things when the days start to blend together and we stumble into people we know and stories we ought to be telling as we chase after what we set out for.
We were well into that rhythm today as we zoomed between morning interviews at the United Nations base and a distribution of solar lights at one of the remaining camps for the internally displaced. We decided to visit the tent city we've been profiling as our final stop of the day. Although it's only a block from our apartment we hadn't visited yet and were shocked at what we found: one of the buildings hemming the site had been fully demolished (it's a former Internet café that pancaked); inside the tent city itself, there were fewer tents and almost nobody that we recognized.
Most notably, Midi Jackson and his family were gone. You'll remember him as the voice of the camp in all of the documentaries we've done. Since day one, he was one of the unofficial leaders of the pack there - the kind of man who was always working to improve conditions even when his comrades had no energy left.
So why did Jackson leave and where did he go? Back home along with about half the people who were living in the camp, according to the people remaining there. When we went to the place we think he lives we couldn't find him though, and nobody was willing to help us. Tired and thirsty, we abandoned the effort for the day.
Tomorrow, the hunt for Jackson continues.
Photo: Midi Jackson at the Abri Pwovizwa Shelter Camp in Jacmel, Haiti in this April 15, 2010 file photo. (Deborah Baic/The Globe and Mail)